


Much More Than a Thousand Words

by theimpalabitme



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Multi, Voltron, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-04-19 22:23:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14246997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theimpalabitme/pseuds/theimpalabitme
Summary: Shiro is a perfect mama's boy.Keith grew up as a part of one of the worlds largest organised gangs.Turns out opposites do attract.





	1. The Story Begins

**Author's Note:**

> A Voltron soulmate AU in which, anything that marks up one person's skin also gets a similar or copied version on their soulmate.  
> (Drawings last twenty-four hours)  
> (Harming marks are muted or halved)  
> (Tattoos last forever)  
> (No cuts/burns transfer over, but bruising does)  
> The story will be Sheith centric  
> Shiro is twenty-one and Keith is eighteen and a half. Matt is twenty and Lance is nineteen  
> Speech goes between " ". Thoughts go between ' '. Text goes between { }  
> .  
> .  
> This is a general trigger warning.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Shiro talk about their big plans for tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Matt are best friends about to graduate from college. Soulmates are just a little bit more important than studying for finals though. Shiro finds his always on his mind. New murals are constantly showing up on his skin, however much his mother protests they don't stop. Endless notes and praise from Shiro don't seem to be enough to get his soulmate to write back. It starts to wear him down.

Today was the first day of classes. Shiro was just unlucky enough to have one on a Monday. Today was also yet another day that Shiro found a beautiful painting down his leg. He felt felt his soulmate start working on it in the middle of the dreaded class. Whenever a mark is made on a soulmate, the other feels everything that's happening to make it. The cold strokes of paint started at his ankle and snaked their way up to his knee. The class wasn't even over yet and it all had stopped. Shiro was starting to get antsy. He wanted to see what the newest piece was.  
Damn note taking.

Waiting until the end felt like forever. He ran to the bathroom and rolled up his pant leg. In its place was a beautiful picture of a cherry blossom tree. The pastel petals were each individually painted, which explained why this one tickled so much.

Shiro grabbed the sharpie out of his jacket pocket and started marking up his own skin.  
{I think this is my favorite one you’ve done! :) }  
He waited for a response.  
He got the usual response.  
He got no response.

Shiro sulked back to his dorm that afternoon. Matt strolled in a little while later with two coffees that were definitely not from a place that rhymes with Car-clucks.  
“Matt. Guess what today’s painting was.” He and Shiro had a game they would play. Matt guess what was drawn or painted, and Shiro had to guess what pick up line Matt had gotten… and where.

Matt shrugged his shoulders. He had only gotten two right before. “Is it a lizard?”

“Nope.” Shiro pulled up the pant leg again and flaunted his calf.

“Well there’s one thing neither of us can deny. Whoever your soulmate is, she’s got talent.” Matt passed him the other coffee. “Your turn.”

Shiro laughed as he tried to come up with something cheesy and generic. “Okay. Was it … ‘Do you have a camera? Because I can picture us together.’ or something along those lines?”

Matt laughed with him “Nah, it was the one about Tennessee.”

“Oh gosh. I should have known.” Shiro watched Matt flop on the bed and pull out his books “What time does the new Cryptids season start tonight?”

“I don't know. Pidge just said we could come over at four. We finally get to meet her roomate. She hasn’t complained about having to share her dorm with a guy yet, so I guess he’s tidy.” Matt glanced over at Shiro “Are we doing our best to avoid the awkward arm conversation tonight or do we get it out of the way?”

Shiro sighed and leaned against the wall, sitting criss cross on his bed. “He could be totally oblivious. We don’t know him very well yet. It's a lot harder to notice someone is missing an arm than you would think.”

Matt just nodded and went to work on his homework.

Tonight just had to go well. Shiro wanted one good interaction with someone for once. One where he wasn't ogled over for being a “Hero” or a “Survivor” or a “Champ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading


	2. The First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This is where she meets prince charming, but she doesn't know it’s him ‘till chapter three”  
> \- Belle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about taking so long to finish this, but we're done with my school musical now so ill have more free time.

Matt and Shiro arrived at Pidge’s room, which was conveniently in the building next door. She invited them in and everyone grabbed snacks. Shiro had worn a long sleeve shirt in the hopes of dissuading any commentary about his arm… or what was left of it. He could only hope that Pidge’s roommate would be clueless.

He came out of his room clad in flannel and jeans and joined the ‘party’ right before the show was about to start. “Hi, I’m Keith” He was a little stiff around new people.

Shiro didn’t even notice the guy at first he was so quiet. Once he did he waved and took a seat on the couch, picking up his popcorn from the table.

The rest settled in and begun the bigfoot episode scheduled for tonight. The intro and theme song came on and Shiro tried getting to know this new guy. “So how did you get into cryptids?”

Keith scratched the back of his head. “Dunno really. I think my dad told me about a few when I was little? The rest was just personal interest. There’s a lot of debate going on in the science class I’m in about the evidence towards certain ones.”

Shiro frowned. “I wish I got to talk about cryptids in my classes…”

Keith’s little giggle afterwards drew Shiro’s attention like a moth to a lamp. For the first time he looked to Pidge’s roommate and saw him. His hair was super long- nope. It was a mullet. Who still even has mullets? This guy probably wasn't afraid of criticism. Although, he did seem to wear the style well.

After a few seconds of Shiro staring at him, Keith stared back. There must have been about two seconds until Shiro finally looked away. He was a blushing mess. “Sorry.”

Keith ran a hand through his hair. “No, you’re fine. I don't mind.” he too had realised how strange the other one was. Was the giant white patch on the front of his head dyed? Who would do that to themselves. Keith never liked to size someone up considering all the people who avoided him on looks alone. He took another glance at Shiro anyway. That was when he first saw it. His right sleeve looked… deflated?


	3. It's Not Exactly Hatred...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys take turns making each other uncomfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of those chapters I had planned that I put the trigger warning on the fic for, so be careful if you don’t like flippant anger, non-con “cheating”, PTSD, ect.  
> I've finally figured out how I want the story to go so I updated the work summary.  
> Also, I highly recommend that for the first two chapters you go reread them because they were updated twice each.  
> Don't worry about how vague this chapter is. I promise that I’ll explain “the accident” in the next chapter.

His right sleeve looked… deflated? Keith just had to ask. “What’s up with your arm?” He immediately regretted his phrasing. Gosh he looked like a douche.

Shiro was about one step away from leaving. Both Holt siblings shot a warning glare over to Keith. Shiro couldn't help but be sarcastic. It was his strongest defence system. “One day it just decided to hop off and join The Addams Family.” It was much more malicious than he had ever intended it to come out. He watched Keith go through the usual emotions. Pity. Regret. 

Although it's what practically everyone in the room thought he was thinking about it wasnt. Keith had figured out through a process of elimination that his soulmate lost his arm a while back. The bruising had been hell. His entire arm purple and blue. In burning pain for about five weeks. Once he was all healed up he went back to his usual paintings. Being ambidextrous, he switched it up every now and again. Keith relished in every word that the other wrote back, but every time it was on the right arm. Radio silence.

It’s not like a lot of people his age were going around losing limbs and he hated himself for causing it.

Keith turned his attention back to the screen. He hoped Shiro didn't hate him now. 

Spoiler alert. He didn’t.

Shiro waited until the next commercial break to try and restart the conversation. Both of them had gotten up to refill on snacks. Shiro set his bowl down and scooped a few handfuls for himself. Then sighed and looked up at Keith who was standing there awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

He held his remaining hand out for a hand shake with a big smile. “Hi, I’m Takashi Shirogane. It’s nice to meet you for the very first time. I lost my arm in a very nonspecific accident that I don't feel comfortable sharing very often.”

Keith went along with it. He raised his right hand to shake and then froze. He was as mortified as a person could be. He swallowed thickly and switched hands since you can't shake a left with a right. “Hi.I’m Keith Kogane and… um… I like cats?”

Shiro shook back. He was used to everyone using the wrong hand anyhow. However he did still want the conversation off of himself. “Hello Keith Kogane Who Likes Cats. Please tell me more about you?”

He tried to think of the most basic facts about himself. They came to him very slowly, one by one. “I grew up in texas, um… My favorite food is spaghetti. Ooo! I’m lactose intolerant.”

The elder giggled and made the most immature joke of the night. “Oh, so you don't get a lot of milk? That must suck.”

If Keith hadn’t figured out that Shiro was his soulmate, he would have just brushed the comment off like a bit of dust. He simply couldn’t. He was pissed. “I don’t understand how people can sleep around before they meet their soulmates.”

Shiro was physically taken aback. His nervous smile creeping up. He had heard too many adults fight about this already. It had been a topic worldwide since the first soulmates started appearing. “Well, if you're not together yet it’s not cheating…”

That only made him angrier. He slowly progressed until he was yelling. “You clearly don't understand the feeling of looking in the mirror and seeing hickeys that weren’t meant for you. It’s humiliating. If you can’t wait for your soulmate then you shouldn't be getting one at all!” All eyes were on Keith. They all saw him work himself up to the point of crying. 

Right in the line of fire, Shiro was scared. Yeah Keith is a tiny guy, but he looked strong enough for a hit to hurt. “S-s-sorry” Gross. He hadn’t stuttered in months. Now as if he wasnt red from being yelled at, he was also red from personal embarrassment.

If Keith did hit Shiro it would only hurt himself. He just decided to leave. He took his snack and locked himself in his room.

Shiro was mortified. Even though it was just the Holts that he grew up with that saw. He put everything down and went back to his dorm. He couldn’t help but fixate on Keith. Why had he gotten so mad? It was just a joke. There was also the issue of why he just assumed Shiro had slept with a lot of people. Why did he feel so bad about hurting Keith?


	4. A Midsummer Night’s Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro finds himself back in the fire, but only in a dream. Remembering it so vividly doesn’t help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEADS UP  
> This is one of those chapters I had planned that I put the trigger warning on the fic for, so be careful if you don’t like fire, amputation, scarring, sac religion, PTSD, ect.

Shiro woke up, quickly recognizing his old home. He was laying in his old bed. In his old pajamas. He knew it was Tuesday. That one goddamn Tuesday. The world around him descended into chaos.

The world started to burn.

The flames were licking underneath his door again. Shiro started to panic again. He went to his window again. The fire truck wasn't there. The neighbors were nowhere to be seen. Shiro knew he had to jump again. It was a terrifying fourteen feet. He only found the courage once the flames had gone halfway across his carpet again.

The lawn was not as calm as he remembered. It felt like a horror-scape. He felt the grass trying to root him down, but he broke free.

Shiro’s mom.

He went back in for her. She was collapsed on the floor of the living room. The scorch marks were so close. Shiro ran to her side and carried her back to the door. Then he saw that damn cat. He knew how crushed his mom would be if she lost her cat. He reluctantly grabbed her purse and put Eggo in, zipping it just enough for her to breathe, and hung it on his mom’s shoulder as he started carrying her out again.

He was so close to being out.

Then the beam fell again.

Shiro had just enough time to push his mom the other direction before he was pinned down by his arm again. Another fell on top of the first and it was still burning. The smoke started filling his lungs again. He passed out pretty quickly. The firemen arrived not long after and pulled him out. Apparently his mom had woken up and gotten them.   
It was dark and there was a huge crowd. Apparently the whole neighborhood had gathered around. But shiro couldn't help but to instead watch the two figures walking down the hill as the firemen put an oxygen mask over his face.

And then he woke up again. He was safe. In his dorm room. Just a bit late for class.


	5. Mother.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turns out Shiro is Keith’s tutor. As if he hadn’t seen enough of Keith yesterday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I made a mistake in chapter two. Shiro does not have white hair by this point nor his scar. They’ll come later ;)

Shiro knew he had signed up to be a tutor. What he didn’t know is how stupid that decision would feel later on. He could have gotten any kid on campus, but no. It had to be keith. Because apparently the cosmic force telling his story wanted him to suffer.

If Shiro felt bad about having to tutor Keith, you bet the other was pissed as hell.

Keith wanted to avoid Shiro for as long as he could. Half because he didn't want to hurt him again, half because he didn't want to get attached. Yet, he still went to the session because as much as he wanted to deny it, their souls were still meant to be together.

Shiro had set up as neatly as possible, the reading material, a few writing utensils, and extra paper. He just wanted this one to go well. He had gone for longsleeve and pants again. Mostly because Keith had done a rant painting last night.

The painting went from his hip to his foot on the right side. It was a little miraged by his burns, but it was a hyper realistic snake. A yellow and white spotted one with red eyes. Shiro was actually a little scared for a second when he saw it in the mirror.

But now he had a job. He was an English major that was about to teach English to the guy who basically called him a slut last night. Maybe he could provide positively associated synonyms for that. Just to spite him. 

Keith came in quietly and sat down across from Shiro. Why was he doing this to himself. He couldn't help but notice that he was wearing sleeves again. “Can I ask you a question?”

 

Shiro was actually a little surprised. He was expecting that they would sit there awkwardly for a while until he couldn’t take it anymore and just left. He wasn't prepared for Keith actually wanting to talk. Was he a little bit mad the Keith wanted to talk? Yes. Yes he was. “You can pick a book for us to work on and then you can ask the question.” All of the options purposely had a lot of symbolism and deep messages, since that what his test scores indicated he struggled with.

Keith frowned and just pointed to the two copies of To Kill a Mockingbird sitting on the table in front of the two.

Shiro passed him one and took the other. Both had been bookmarked at the same places. “Every bookmark shows where the section ends for each tutoring session. I really recommend keeping up with the reading in your actual classes first though.”

“Alright I picked a book. Why do you hide your arm?” Keith put his feet up on the chair next to him.

Shiro blushed. He wasn’t expecting such a personal question. “It’s really awkward when everyone is staring at my stump. My mom also doesn't like all the attention it draws either. It’s all fake sympathy and she doesn’t want it going to my head.” 

Keith laughed in his face. “So basically your mom tells you what to wear? In college?”

Shiro was dead serious. “In her college.”

He couldn’t help but to cross his arms. “What does that even mean ‘in her college’? Did she go here or something?”

Mockingly, Shiro pretended to cross his arms too. “My mother runs our board of education here.”


	6. Chapter Five and a Half

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit goes down between Shirt and Queef

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for anyone who has made it this far.  
> This is a half chapter so ya’ll know I’m alive  
> Seven will be two chapters in one

Keith’s smile was anything but happy. “I should have known. Perfect boy Shiro is run by his mom. Does she still change your diapers too?”

Shiro started putting his books away. He was not dealing with Keith right now. Not him and his freaking gorgeous lips. Wait… no no no. He could not fall for Keith. This guy had hated him from the second they met. Not to mention he’s Pidge’s room mate. Not to mention he’s a dude. Not to mention his soul mate was probably equally as pissed as Keith was at the fact that he had slept with Allura those couple of months ago.

Keith put his feet on the ground and smile quirked even further. “Why so quiet all the sudden? Let me guess. You also played football in high school? Really good at piano? Straight A’s? All because mommy wanted yo-”

“Piss. Off.” As Shiro struggled to get the last book in, he put the bag over his shoulder and went for the door. He never wanted to see Keith Kogane again.

He hadn’t realized how far he had gone. What was meant to be a little light hearted teasing had practically been a sucker punch to the face. Keith felt so bad. He could probably never face Takashi Shirogane again.


	7. Two Whole Ass Chapters.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the one where they make up, featuring Matt x Lance.  
> First, ya boys gotta prep for the party. You know. The one where Matt is supposed to meet the love of his life

The rest of the week had been pretty plain. Shiro hated himself (as usual) along with that stupid faced Keith kid. He never thought someone could be such a pain in the ass. 

But he was putting all of that behind him. It’s not like he had to see him at any point in the day. The first Friday, one of the bigger frats was throwing a huge party to celebrate surviving the end of the first week of classes. Matt was extremely excited for it.  
“Shiro, you have to come. This is going to be your last first party before you graduate. I’m not gonna let you mope any more about some stupid thing a virtual stranger said to you.”

Shiro was still buried under the covers. “I do not mope. I stew. Keith’s words are still stewing…” he popped his head out from the blanket mountain. “But just for you… since you’re my best friend.” he climbed off the bed entirely bringing the pillows down with him. “I’ll go.”

Matt did little fist pumps and gave a muted cheer for his best friend. “Yeah! We’re gonna party. We’re gonna party. We’re gonn-” 

Shiro had put his hand over Matt’s face and dragged it down. “Shhhh. You’re making enough noise to be your own party. I never said I’m staying. I’m just going so I can be there when you meet your soulmate.”

He was happy to be getting just that. After a little sigh Matt gave in. “He just sounds cute. I hate that he doesn't want to give our names away yet. You remember that time I told him I was Scarlett Johansson and he just wrote this whole long letter on my arm? I feel like that should be the first thing we talk about.”

Nothing else could put Shiro in a better mood than seeing his best friend so happy. “Do you still want me to draw that thing on your face? There are probably better artists to do it for you, like someone who has ever done an art. Or has both hands.”

The duo laughed it up together.

Matt passed the other the pink marker from the drawer next to him. “Just do your best? It's not like a rainbow is that hard to draw. Just don’t forget the clouds. It’ll look weird.” They both sat down on Matt’s bed and Shiro started drawing on his left cheek. 

Shiro bit his lip in concentration. It was a bit of a wimpy drawing, but it would work for their purposes. This was purely for identification. He pulled away and put the cap on with a little ta-da. 

Walking over to the mirror was a little bit nerve wracking for Matt. This was how his soulmate would remember meeting him for the very first time. This crummy little doodle would probably be stuck in his own memory forever. “Thanks Shiro. It rocks.” They fist bumped and got ready to go. 

He was a little bit worried going in a muscle shirt that would practically scream ‘I'M AN AMPUTEE!’ , but figured he still wanted to wear what he wanted instead of what his mother did. The yellow top and jeans matched Matt’s. It was a prank they had started freshman year. They usually got two or three comments about how the person ‘just saw another dude wearing the same thing’ or something along those lines

They walked out of their apartment together and met up with Pidge, who was also going tonight. She was just putting her helmet on for her moped as they got there. “I was about to leave without you. Thought you guys weren't coming.”

He hugged his little sister. “Texted you we’d be a ‘lil late. We wanted to show up after the party gets started. We don't want to get caught in that awkward beginning lull.”

Pidge scoffed the two off as she fixed her hair from the helmet. “Fine. Whatever, let’s just go.” The group started walking after she re-chained the moped.

Shiro suddenly patted both sets of pockets. “Damn, I forgot my phone. I’ll just meet you guys there, okay?”

The siblings waved him off as he ran back to their building to grab his phone. The whole ordeal probably took about five minutes until he was back on the pavement, about to walk to the party. 

No.  
Of course.  
Keith Kogane.  
They locked eyes from across the street.  
Shiro sighed and rolled his eyes rather dramatically. “Please tell me you're not going to the same party as me.” 

Keith mockingly copied him. There seemed to be a trend of doing that between the two. “Won’t be a party if Mama’s boy is there.” God, Why was he still going at Shiro? They two boys walked in time on opposite sides of the street. A whole ten minutes and both were seething the whole time. 

Keith happened to be on the right side and was the first one to get to the door. He figured he wouldn’t have to interact with Shiro if he hid in the crowd. That couldn’t be too hard considering half of the campus was here.

As a socialite, Shiro made the rounds and quickly found Matt. “Dude, there are so many people here. Have you found him yet?” 

He looked up to Shiro with almost desperate eyes.

Why was he such a pushover. “Fine I’ll help you look for twenty minutes, but I’m not spending the whole night if he doesn't show. Write to him and tell him to stand by the stairs.” he went to go grab a beer and then grab Matt’s soon to be boyfriend.

Once he finally got to the stairs he saw the one with the half assed rainbow. He had this kid in a few of his classes. Of course Matt got someone as cool as Lance McClain. He was amazing at trash-ketball, basketball, and of course the professor's trivia. He walked up to the guy mid conversation.

Lance was already trying to figure out which was the best first anecdote with the people around him. “...And that is why they call me The Tailor.”

Shiro was glad he was finished right as he tapped the other on the shoulder. “Hi. Nice face. Tell me about yourself before I show you which one matches.”

He almost spit out his drink. “Oh. Okay, well… I’m in my third year here studying bio-tech, this is my party and it’s sort of Gatsby style to meet the love of my life. Also I didn’t buy the beer and that’s why it’s a crap brand.”

Good enough. “Let’s go meet Daisy then, shall we?”


	8. Try and Stop Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro finally tries to go for Keith, but a certain someone gets in the way...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the idea gets a little messy  
> im doing my best to clarify all of the details  
> It’s also one of the longest ones I've written because I needed it all together

Lance followed Shiro holding his cup up like a nervous pangolin. When he caught the first glance of Matt sitting on the couch holding a solo cup, he nearly dropped his own. He calmed himself down and fixed his hair before going and sitting down next to him.

Shiro watched Matt’s face light up and conversation struggle to spark. The two looked happy, so he left them and went to find someone to talk to. About an hour and a half later and he was beyond tipsy. All of the people here were just too insufferable to listen to sober.

He walked out back to see if anything was better. There was a pool. Nobody was wearing swimwear so it obviously wasn't a pool party. They were however setting up a pair of kegs. Keith was standing right next to them. Shiro knew right then and there how he could show he wasn't a mama’s boy. He walked right up to keith and pointed to the kegs with ever more slurred speech. “You. Me. Race to the one fourth mark.”

The other was in no better condition. They both had the brightest of red cheeks “Alright. You’re on.” Keith walked over and easily got into a handstand. The problem would be maintaining it.

Shiro knew from experience that he could do it just as easily. He centered his hand on the stand and flipped up into a single hand handstand.

There was cheering and a countdown. Most everyone could tell Shiro was already drunk as hell and put their bets on Keith. Most everyone was wrong. Shiro came down gracefully and fist pumped with the crowd. Keith came down and shook hands with him. “Maybe you can be wild every once in a while.”

So his plan had worked. Shiro finished the shake and went back inside. Back under the cover of people he was about ready to vomit, but he wouldn't have time. He was approached by a guy with long blonde hair who was probably the best dressed here.

Unbenounced to nearly everyone here, this was Lotor. One of two percent in the population with a special ability. With strong concentration he could put anything he wanted on his arm and have it transfer to the person of his choice along with vice versa. Any mark could transfer to him. Every time he had done it made his ability just that much stronger. Another thing that only two people here knew: Lotor just inherited the Galra throne. The hub was in the same city as the college everyone here went to. Right under their thumb. Lotor’s voice came out smooth and rich like a fine chocolate. “So I saw your performance outside. It was rather impressive to see you hold yourself up like that for so long.”

Shiro wasn't even sure what was up or down right now, let alone that this guy was flirting with him. “Oh thanks. It’s not that hard after you get your balance.”

“Do you need a ride home? You shouldn't drive after drinking so much and I could take you.” Lotor saw him almost fall over and caught his hand to help stabilize him.

“That would be really nice. I’m Shiro, what’s your name?”

“I’m Lotor. Let’s get you home.” He thought it too easy to get his dorm information. Finding that in the school database would lead to his new address and other information from there. For now though, he was focused on getting him to join the gang. 

He leaned on lotor as he was lead out to his black Mustang. “Damn you have a nice car. Do you want my number? I don't mean to sound like a gold digger or anything. I swear I’m not. I just think you're nice helping me out an stuff an maybe we could be friends?”

The perfect opportunities just kept rolling out. He pulled out a marker from his pocket. “Absolutely. Just write it on my arm.”

Shiro fumbled with the cap and managed to scrawl his number at the base of Lotor’s left wrist. He was confused when it started showing up on his own. “Wait. Draw something on me.”

Pretending to be shocked was not hard for him. Lotor drew a simple flower on the back of Shiro’s hand and they watched together as it appeared on his hand “This means…”

Too drunk to be subtle, Shiro was ecstatic. He practically threw himself onto the other. “YOU'RE MY SOULMATE! Oh my god I’ve been looking for you forever. I'm so sorry for not waiting for you. Even when I was with Allura I was looking for you. You're so great at art.” 

Lotor was less than excited that Shiro was a rambler. “Here. Why don't we talk more in the car where we can celebrate in private?”

“No! I want to shout it from the rooftops! I've found my soulmate! This guy right here!” Either way Shiro was gently shoved into the car.

Keith had been looking for him since he had gone inside. Once he heard him shouting outside his heart felt like it fell out of his chest. He ran outside and saw that godforsaken car. The one that had driven him that night. The one that made him sit and watch the molotov light up one random house. Shiro’s house. This manipulative twat was not going to steal anything more from either him or Shiro. He stormed up to him and threw a punch.  
Lotor caught it like it was nothing. “Go home Keith. You’re drunk.”

He was furious now. Keith faced Lotor and brought his knee up into the gobermouch's crotch

Shiro had passed out buckled up in the passenger seat and was oblivious to Lotor doubling over on the other side of the car “You left the Galra Keith. You will never stop suffering until you come back to us. I will be sure of that. But if you touch me one more time, my sniper will take you out.”

He just about kicked him in the ribs, But keith could never let Shiro suffer through that kind of pain. Something like a headshot would give him an aneurysm or a stroke. If lotor used his ability and transferred the kick Shiro would get a broken rib. He spat on the pathetic pompous mess at his feet and went back inside. 

He was going to Marmora this weekend and stopping Lotor.


	9. Get Your Shit Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll Write to congress. I'll tell them we need supplies. We rally the guys, master the element of surprise.” -Lin Manuel Miranda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit it's been two months and I suck ass. I’m sorry.

Keith waited an hour to try and sober up, but even then he was not completely clean. It didn't matter. The longer Shiro was with Lotor, the more danger he was in. Lotor absolutely couldn't be trusted. 

Keith biked to the Marmora mansion. Kolivan had set up a sort of safe haven for all of his members. Keith practically lived there. Most or the members were ex-Galran members. The bigger gang made life hell for all of the defectors. Case in point, Shiro. The whole fire had been Keith's first punishment.

He was given a warm welcome by the usual crowd, but he blew them off looking for their leader. “KOLIVAN! Why is Lotor focusing on Shiro personally? He’s never been this way with anyone else who defects.”

The old man just rubbed his temple at his desk. Keith was interrupting his meeting with Alfor, Leader of the Alteans. “Can we please have a minute before I tackle this again?” Kolivan always had been soft for Keith. He had practically adopted the poor kid.

“Shiro doesn't have a minute! Lotor just kidnapped him!”

Well now he had their attention.

Alfor stood and walked over to give him a handshake. “I’m Alfor, I’m sure you know who I am. Who is this Shiro?” He just wanted to help.

Keith sat in the chair next to him and started explaining away. “Shiro is my soulmate, but he doesn't know yet. Somehow, Lotor must have caught on. I just watched him trick Shiro into thinking that he and Lotor are the real soulmates.” 

Alfor felt bad for the kid. He knew the Marmora needed his help afterall. He’d been looking for a pact between the two gangs for years. “Kolivan, I think we could possibly get him back for you.”

Kolivan knew he couldn't possibly refuse. Not with Keith right there. There was another long sigh. 

“So what’s the plan?”


End file.
